The Patriots are interested in acquiring a “bona fide, premium” receiver before Tuesday’s trade deadline, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter link), and New England has at least discussed Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas, reports Michael Girardi of NFL.com (Twitter link).
New England, of course, has already made one move for a pass-catcher earlier this year, picking up Josh Gordon and a seventh-round pick from the Browns in exchange for a fifth-rounder. But adding another receiver to a depth chart that already includes Gordon, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarrelle Patterson could prove appealing for the Patriots as they head into the second half of the season.
As Girardi tweets, the Patriots aren’t necessarily focused on any one player or position as the trade deadline approaches, but Thomas is undoubtedly available for the right price. The Broncos have reportedly received interest in both Thomas and fellow wideout Emmanuel Sanders, but they’d prefer to move Thomas — and his contract — off their books. Thomas is signed through 2019, but the Patriots — or any club that acquired the veteran receiver — could cut him after 2018 with no dead money accelerating onto their cap.
For the rest of the 2018 campaign, Thomas would be relatively affordable, as he’s due roughly $4.5MM over the next nine weeks. The Patriots currently have ~$5.1MM in available cap space, per Over the Cap, meaning they’d just barley be able to fit Thomas onto their books without making any other moves. Thomas, 30, has posted 33 receptions on 49 targets, managing 372 yards and three touchdowns in the process.
There are several wide receivers who could be dealt in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline: Pierre Garcon, Demaryius Thomas, and DeSean Jackson are a few of the bigger names that are drawing the interest of various clubs after Amari Cooper was traded to the Cowboys on Monday.
And, given the Giants’ disastrous start to the season and Odell Beckham Jr.‘s dissatisfaction with the team’s direction, plenty of clubs are calling the Giants about the possibility of acquiring the enigmatic superstar. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv on Twitter) reports that, not only is Big Blue getting offers, those offers are apparently decent ones. The implication is that, if the Giants were serious about trading Beckham, they would find a vibrant market, despite OBJ’s massive contract.
But the contract, as Vacchiano points out, is one of the major obstacles to a potential deal. If New York were to trade Beckham, it would have to carry $16MM in dead money on its cap next year, and it would obviously need to replace its best player. Indeed, while the Giants are clearly not going anywhere this season, they gave Beckham his big-money deal with the intention of keeping him around at least through his prime years, and given that rebuilds in football do not necessarily take an extended period of time, it would obviously be shocking to see OBJ traded in the next couple of days.
Still, it is interesting that rival clubs think there is enough of a chance that New York would be willing to pull the trigger that they are actually making offers and not just doing due diligence with a phone call or two. Even when OBJ isn’t making drama, drama seems to find him.
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson suffered an MCL tear in his left knee during the team’s win over Jacksonville in London today, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Eagles are on a bye next week, but Johnson nonetheless could miss an extended period of time. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Johnson, who was already dealing with an ankle injury (to the same leg), will be sidelined for about a month. McLane adds that the 2017 First Team All-Pro will have further testing when the team returns to Philadelphia.
Johnson, whom the team selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 draft, is having another excellent season. He is currently ranked as the 10th-best tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and the Eagles — whose running game is already sputtering — will miss him dearly during his absence.
Johnson’s fellow bookend, left tackle Jason Peters, also left today’s game with a head injury. Though Peters did return to action, he has not been playing to his usual standards this year, and he is dealing with other health issues of his own (plus, he is 36 and is clearly on the tail end of his career).
There have been no trade rumors surrounding tackles in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and the Eagles will likely ask Halapoulivaati Vaitai to fill in at right tackle while Johnson is out.
Johnson signed a lucrative five-year extension in January 2016, which was restructured (to his benefit) last March. He is under club control through 2021.
The Steelers are still hopeful that they can trade Le’Veon Bell and net a third-round pick or better in return before Tuesday’s deadline, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Bell, as we heard earlier this week, does not want to be traded, and given that he would need to sign his franchise tender before he can be dealt, he holds all the cards in that regard. La Canfora tweets that Bell (predictably) balked at returning to the Steelers on the exempt list, so there are still plenty of moving pieces to keep an eye on before this situation is finally resolved.
Now let’s take a quick swing around the AFC:
- Blake Bortles played decently for the Jaguars during their loss in London today, but we heard earlier this week that the fifth-year pro is on a short leash after he was benched during last Sunday’s loss to the Texans. However, Albert Breer of TheMMQB observes that Bortles still took the lion’s share of first-team reps in practice this week (though Cody Kessler did get a few, as anticipated), so it does not appear that there is a quarterback competition at the moment.
- La Canfora writes that the Jaguars were very much interested in Kirk Cousins last offseason and were prepared to offer him a significant free agent contract and move on from Bortles. However, they were not willing to meet the $30MM-per-year figure that Cousins ultimately got from the Vikings (they hoped to land him for something in the $20-24MM range). Instead, of course, they gave Bortles a pay-as-you-go, team-friendly extension, which allows the club the flexibility to move on this offseason if it so chooses.
- Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette is expected to return to the field for Jacksonville’s Week 10 matchup on November 11 against the Colts, per Schefter.
- It does not appear as if the Chargers will get Joey Bosa back for their November 4 matchup against the Seahawks, as they had been hoping for some time. Although Bosa is making progress, Schefter writes that he is not “anywhere near ready to play right now.” It is unclear when Bosa will make his much-anticipated return to the field, but the wait will carry until at least the second week of November.
- Sony Michel returned to practice for the Patriots yesterday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. While Michel will not play in the team’s Monday night contest against the Bills tomorrow, he may be ready to go against the Packers next week. Reiss adds that New England could promote Kenneth Farrow from the taxi squad for tomorrow’s game in order to give themselves three healthy backs.
- The relationship between Browns HC Hue Jackson and OC Todd Haley is not improving, and one of the two could be relieved of his duties in short order.
We learned earlier this morning that Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson has requested a trade, though the team wants to keep him. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Jackson, on his way to the team bus this morning, declined to comment on the report.
With the trade deadline two days away, let’s round up a few more trade rumors from around the league (Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who says many GMs expect there to be three to five “impactful” deals over the next 48 hours, offers a helpful primer, which includes a list of some of the most-discussed players on the market):
- Albert Breer of TheMMQB says that the Raiders may not be done dealing just yet, though he does not expect the team to move Derek Carr (indeed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported this morning that the Raiders have told Carr that he is the quarterback of the present and future). However, Oakland is open to moving Karl Joseph and Gareon Conley, though the Raiders are driving a “hard bargain” with teams interested in Conley.
- Breer names a number of other players whose names we have not heard in recent rumblings but who could nonetheless be on the move: the Packers‘ Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the 49ers‘ Pierre Garcon and Jimmie Ward, the Cardinals‘ Chandler Jones, and the Broncos‘ Shane Ray and Brandon Marshall. Breers adds that San Francisco would need to get something “significant” to deal Ward. He also says that, while teams are certainly interested in Denver corners Bradley Roby and Chris Harris, he thinks it would be difficult for the team to trade either.
- If they had elected to trade Patrick Peterson, La Canfora writes that the Cardinals could have received a bounty for him, and may have even landed multiple first-round picks (in fact, several teams were already prepared to offer a first- and second-rounder). JLC reports that Peterson was considered the “crown jewel” of the deadline, and given his attractive contract status, he may be the subject of renewed trade rumors during the offseason.
- Breer also writes that the Browns are open to trading Tyrod Taylor, whose contract structure could make a deal feasible. Meanwhile, Tony Grossi of ESPN.com suggests that Cleveland GM John Dorsey may be trying to acquire wide receiver help (Twitter link).
- The Bills remain unlikely to trade LeSean McCoy, per Schefter.
- Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has demonstrated a proclivity for making trades, and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says Maccagnan has been doing his due diligence on everyone, including big-name players. But while there is a sense that New York could swing a deal, the fact that the team is in a no-man’s land between buyer and seller, and the fact that the roster does not have many tradeable pieces, could make a trade difficult to pull off.
Sunday, 9:42am: It appears that this situation will blow over. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Church was not actually arrested — Hayden, Wilson, and Harrison apparently were — but none of the four players were charged. London Police say the matter is “resolved.”
Rapoport says that the four men skipped out on a $64K bar tab, but that may have been due to a misunderstanding (video link). Apparently, expensive bottles of alcohol were being sent to their table, but they believed someone else was paying for them. They were therefore surprised when they were expected to pay.
In any event, it seems this incident will not have any impact on the team or the players moving forward.
Saturday, 9:15pm: The players arrested were Barry Church, D.J. Hayden, Jarrod Wilson, and Ronnie Harrison, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). All four players are defensive backs, which could explain why the team was so reluctant to name them in their statement.
Jacksonville is already shorthanded in the secondary and can’t afford to be without both Church and Harrison, so they will almost certainly still play. Church, a safety, plays nearly every down while Harrison, also a safety, has seen his snaps increase in recent weeks. Hayden was already unlikely to play with an injury, and Wilson is a lightly-used special-teamer.
Saturday, 9:05pm: Online reports from British tabloids began circulating that four Jaguars players had been arrested ahead of Jacksonville’s game in London, and now the team is confirming those reports, according to James Palmer of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Jaguars released a very brief statement acknowledging what happened, which reads as follows: “We are aware that four of our players were detained over restitution of a bill. The matter is being resolved and the players are with the team. Any discipline will be handled internally.”
The statement is very light on details, and it hasn’t been reported yet which four players were detained. The original report from the British paper said the players were confronted by security at a nightclub and accused of trying to avoid paying their tab. While the team is clearly being intentionally vague, we should know more details soon. At this point, it’s unclear if the players will still play in the game against the Eagles tomorrow.
No matter what happens, it’s an awful look for a club that’s been in disarray for weeks now, with the news breaking 12 hours before they’re set to kick off. The locker room has reportedly turned toxic, with multiple shouting matches breaking out after their most recent loss. Blake Bortles was benched and is now on a very short leash, and this is the last thing the team needs.
The NFL has made expanding the game into the London market a major focal point in recent years, and the league office will likely be outraged at the optics. While the Jaguars have said any discipline will be internal, commissioner Roger Goodell may disagree.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson created plenty of waves earlier this week when he suggested that he may take over play-calling duties from OC Todd Haley. And while Jackson quickly walked back those comments, he may have done serious damage to his chances of remaining in Cleveland.
Albert Breer of TheMMQB, who appeared on 92.3 The Fan on Wednesday, said, “I don’t think that [Jackson’s] comments went over all that well in certain corners of the building” (audio link). Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports agrees, going so far as to say that Jackson’s comments “flabbergasted and confounded” his coaching staff and players. Breer noted that team owner Jimmy Haslam and GM John Dorsey are prioritizing the development of No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, and they are not very receptive to anything that may stunt his growth as a player. Although Cleveland’s offense has not been particularly good overall, Mayfield has shown enough flashes of brilliance to suggest that he can ultimately live up to his draft status.
Breer tweets that nothing has changed in the team’s offensive meetings rooms over the last week, so Haley is still running the show for now. However, Breer concedes that what happens after the team’s divisional contest against Pittsburgh this afternoon is uncertain, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes that change could be coming soon. Rapoport says that several people within the organization have “battled” to improve the working relationship between Jackson and Haley, but to no avail. He adds that if the two men cannot reconcile their differences, the team will likely make a move.
In fact, Rapoport suggests that Haley could be the one getting the ax, because while Jackson has compiled a horrible record while at the helm, he is still in charge, and Haley’s interactions with his boss may amount to insubordination. It would be surprising to see Haley fired before Jackson, but Rapoport indicates that option certainly remains on the table.
Even if both men survive the year, the Browns could go in a different direction at the end of the season. After all, Dorsey did not hire Jackson, and with Mayfield under center and a legitimate GM calling the shots, Cleveland may very well be a desirable destination for some of the top head coaching candidates next offseason, which is a rarity for the franchise.
One way or another, things could be coming to a head. It is just a shame that, even in a year that has seen real signs of improvement, the Browns still cannot seem to get out of their own way.
Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson recently requested that the team trade him, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter is unaware of the request, and if Jackson did ask for a trade, it would be surprising if Koetter did not know about it.
In any event, Rapoport says that the 3-3 Bucs have refused to grant that request, and it appears as if the team will hold on to Jackson through Tuesday’s trade deadline. After all, Koetter’s job security is tenuous at best, and GM Jason Licht is probably not much safer. As such, team brass may have personal reasons, as well as on-field reasons, to keep Jackson around.
Jackson signed a three-year deal, $33.5MM deal with the Bucs in March 2017, but he and quarterback Jameis Winston never got on the same page during Jackson’s first year with the club, and Jackson’s deep ball skills were sorely underutilized. He caught 50 balls for 668 yards and three scores last season, and his 13.4 yards per catch average was the lowest mark of his career.
This year, he and backup signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick were making magic together through the first two games of the season, but since Winston has resumed quarterbacking duties, Jackson has once again seen his numbers take a dip. In each of the last two games, Winston has missed an open Jackson for what would have likely been a long touchdown pass.
Although the Bucs have declined to honor Jackson’s request to date, this report will surely increase interest in the 31-year-old playmaker (who turns 32 on December 1). Any acquiring team would take on the remainder of his $11MM salary for this season and would be on the hook for his $10MM salary in 2019, but he could be released after the 2018 campaign without any dead money being left on the cap.
Ezekiel Ansah has missed almost the entire season with a mysterious shoulder injury. He played in the Lions’ opener against the Jets, and notched four tackles and a sack, but hasn’t played since. Detroit has been mum on what exactly is ailing Ansah, and he’s appeared close to returning a few times recently but has never suited up. He’s practice on a limited basis the past couple of weeks, but still hasn’t been ready.
This week might be different, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Ansah “did more in practice Friday than I’ve seen him in recent weeks.” It seems like Ansah is ramping up his activity and has a very good chance to return tomorrow against the Seahawks. Ansah, who’s playing on a franchise tag, would provide a big boost to a suddenly resurgent Lions defense.
Here’s more on some big injuries from around the league:
- Richard Sherman appears on track to return for the 49ers tomorrow against the Cardinals after a two game absence, but might have to miss Week 9 because of it. Sherman told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’s going to attempt to play through the injury, but might be too sore to play on short-rest in Week 9. The 49ers play on Thursday Night Football, and it doesn’t sound like Sherman thinks he’ll be able to play two games in four days.
- The Patriots have been typically tight-lipped about Sony Michel‘s injury, but the recent word is that it isn’t too serious. That being said, Michel has been downgraded to doubtful for the team’s Monday night game against the Bills, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). If it’s true that it’s relatively minor, Michel should be able to return in Week 9.
- The Vikings’ defense has already been pretty banged up, and they got even more bad news recently. Linebacker Anthony Barr has been ruled out, which will end his streak of 44 consecutive games started for the Vikings, according to Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The Vikings will be considerably short-handed for their game against the Saints, and Barr’s absence will surely be felt over the middle.